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November 29, 2004

"Flash Out of the Box": Mastering Flash in a Flash

Sebastopol, CA--"I've read a lot of Flash books," says Robert Hoekman,
Jr., "and one thing I've noticed is that they tend to offer instruction
out of context. A typical book will cover each major piece of Flash in one
chapter instead of integrating the subjects to create a more effective
learning experience." In his new Flash Out of the Box (O'Reilly, US
$29.95), Hoekman delivers an innovative user-centric introduction to Flash
MX 2004--and makes the process of learning Flash intuitive, logical, and,
most of all, fun.

"It occurred to me one day," says Hoekman, "that everything that can be
done with Flash can be done inside of a single shape: a box. The 'Out of
the Box' concept is intended to inspire the reader to think outside the
proverbial box by first studying what comes inside of it." In Flash Out
of the Box, Hoekman has his readers dive straight into the Flash box so
they quickly become intimately acquainted with every nook and cranny of it.

"This is not another how-to book; it's a when, why, and how book," says
Hoekman. He admits that Flash MX 2004 comes with a higher learning curve
than any previous version, which is to be expected when technologies
develop and evolve. "So now, more than ever, it's important that one book
provide all the essential information, presented in a logical way so that
each and every reader can get the most out of Flash right out of the box."

Flash Out of the Box opens readers' eyes to all the amazing projects
possible with Flash and includes everything they need--even trial
software--to create and publish Flash content for the Web, for handhelds,
and for CD-ROM. New users will learn the basics quickly so they can start
accomplishing their goals while more experienced programmers and
developers (ActionScript or otherwise) will easily master the design
aspects of Flash.

Each successive lesson and hands-on exercise anticipates and builds upon
readers' needs, capabilities, and questions as they evolve from Flash
newbies to budding experts. They'll learn to animate, work with video,
load external assets, draw, mask, modularize, and many other essential
Flash techniques. "Get Out of the Box" sections help them leverage the
skills they've already mastered and accomplish more than they thought
possible.

With this entertaining, conversational, task-oriented guide, readers will
feel like they're learning Flash from a trusted and knowledgeable
colleague, not a textbook. They'll learn a lot, they'll learn it fast, and
they'll get to put it to use in projects in a flash.

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